PRESS RELEASE: Senate and House Democratic Leaders Respond to Gov. Hobbs' Year-Three Budget Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 17, 2024

PHOENIX- Governor Katie Hobbs released her third-year budget plan that keeps Arizona’s economy on a growth track, protects public education and makes life more affordable for hard-working Arizona families. House and Senate Democratic Leaders Oscar De Los Santos and Priya Sundareshan released the following statements on the plan, which will be presented to joint Appropriations Committees on Tuesday.

House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos:

“The Governor’s budget is tightly aligned with our Caucus priorities in several key ways —especially with its focus on affordability, affordability, and affordability. While greedy corporations try to fleece and price-gouge working families, we must do everything we can to slash costs. Thankfully, the Governor has put forward solid and workable plans to cut costs for childcare, housing, and more — which give us an excellent starting place for the bipartisan negotiations that it will take to pass a budget that works for every Arizonan. As the chaos and tariffs of the incoming Trump Administration threaten to drive up prices on basic necessities like food and healthcare, it’s more important than ever that here in Arizona we make much-needed investments to protect hard-working families and make life more affordable." 

Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan:

"I applaud the Governor and her team for their work and dedication to putting forward a fiscally responsible budget proposal. This proposal has a desperately needed focus on ensuring Arizona is an affordable place to live, raise a family, and build a business. It is my hope that Republicans choose to partner with the Governor to adopt the outlined common-sense constraints on the out-of-control universal ESA voucher scheme. The strain of this program paired with years of irresponsible Republican budgeting have left our state in critical need of the investments this proposal seeks to make in Tribal communities, working families, affordable housing, and responsible groundwater management.”